A study released this week has found legalizing medical marijuana has resulted in a nearly 9% decline in traffic deaths and a 5% reduction in beer sales in states that allow it. The study is the first ever to examine the relationship between medical marijuana and traffic fatalities.

The study, Medical Marijuana Laws, Traffic Fatalities, and Alcohol Consumption, could be an important intervention in ongoing debates over medical marijuana and marijuana legalization, reformers said. Opponents of loosened marijuana laws use concerns over drugged driving and possible traffic fatalities as one of their most effective arguments against liberalization, and this study could lessen the effectiveness of that argument...

Marijuana reform advocates who have studiously compared alcohol and marijuana liked what they heard.

"Every objective study on marijuana has concluded that it is far safer than alcohol for the user and society," said Mason Tvert, executive director of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER) and coauthor of the book, Marijuana is Safer: So why are we driving people to drink? "It should come as little surprise that when we allow adults to make the safer choice to use marijuana it results in less drinking and fewer alcohol-related problems."

Tvert coordinated the successful ballot initiatives in Denver that made it the first city in the nation to remove all penalties for adult possession (2005), and designated possession as its lowest law enforcement priority (2007).  He is currently one of two formal proponents of a 2012 statewide initiative campaign to make marijuana legal in Colorado and regulate it like alcohol... 

Read the entire story at: http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2011/nov/30/new_study_finds_traffic_fataliti

The subject of driving under the influence of marijuana has been much debated in these parts. A bill to set a THC driving limit was shelved in May, shortly before an HDNet report demonstrated pot-related driving impairment -- and in August, the Colorado Department of Transportation launched a drugged-driving campaign. Now, however, a new study suggests that traffic fatalities go down in states where medical marijuana is legal.

The paper, co-authored by University of Colorado Denver Professor Daniel Rees and Montana State University Assistant Professor D. Mark Anderson, looked at traffic fatalities nationwide between 1990 and 2009 -- and in the thirteen states that had legalized medical marijuana during that period, alcohol consumption for those between the ages of twenty and 29 declined, as did the number of highway deaths...

No surprise that this info has been embraced by Mason Tvert, whose organization, Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Entertainment (SAFER), has long held that alcohol is riskier than marijuana.

"We've been making the argument for years here in Colorado that allowing people to use marijuana is a safer alternative to alcohol, and that it would reduce alcohol-related problems," Tvert says. "This study is simply more evidence of that."

Tvert adds that the study's conclusion will likely arise during the campaign for the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol Act of 2012, for which he's a high-profile proponent. In his words, "The subject of DUID" -- driving under the influence of drugs -- "will be brought up, in all likelihood, and we expect this information to be part of that debate, part of the discussion..."

Read the entire story at: http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/11/medical_marijuana_laws_fewer_traffic_deaths.php

States that have passed initiatives to legalize medical marijuana have also seen a decline in traffic fatalities, according to a new study out this week by the Institute for the Study of Labor...

But far from marijuana acting as a “gateway” to more dangerous drugs, as authorities often claim, researchers found that it’s more commonly used as a substitute for alcohol, which is often more harmful and inebriating than marijuana...

A further analysis of data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, spanning from 1990 to 2009, revealed that states which legalized medical marijuana saw a decline in alcohol consumption. A decline in traffic fatalities was a direct side effect of that...

“Every objective study on marijuana has concluded that it is far safer than alcohol for the user and society,” explained Mason Tvert, director of SAFER, a group which advocates for legalization in Colorado. “It should come as little surprise that when we allow adults to make the safer choice to use marijuana it results in less drinking and fewer alcohol-related problems..."

Read the entire story at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/11/29/study-legalizing-medical-marijuana-reduces-traffic-fatalities/

A leading activist pushing for legal adult use of marijuana in Colorado urged UCF students to discuss the legalization issue with larger audiences.

The executive director of Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, Mason Tvert, spoke to UCF students Thursday evening in the Student Union about focusing on dialogue to convince greater numbers of people of the plant's harmlessness, especially when compared to substances like alcohol.

"We need to start addressing why they think [marijuana] is such a bad thing. In order to do that we need to start fostering conversations with people. And that's really a big part of what our organization has done and a big part of what we're going to be doing with the legalization initiative campaign in Colorado."

Tvert told of his experience garnering attention and support for legal adult use in Colorado to demonstrate to the audience of about 50 people that successfully legalizing marijuana may be as simple as getting people to talk about the issue publicly. Tvert referred to SAFER's loss in 2000 to pass legal adult use – regulated and taxed like alcohol – as a way of showing how success could be redefined.

"We ended up with 41 percent...And although we lost, we really accomplished our goal because now, not only do we get people talking about this, we got all this stuff going on...We had newspapers endorsing this...Officials were asked about it because we got on the ballot."

Tvert emphasized that by using SAFER's argument that marijuana is a safe alternative to alcohol, students nationwide can pressure administrators to change existing policies that use harsher penalties for students caught using marijuana in dorms than those caught drinking in them.

"We worked with students to get in the face of administrators, saying 'you're killing students by making them feel like they need to drink instead of using marijuana.' It was very different for administrators and for government officials and cops to be getting attacked for making people less safe by keeping marijuana illegal. Now, all of a sudden they're on the defensive."

The audience, mostly UCF students and supporters of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, applauded Tvert when he mentioned that instead of "getting together all the time and just agree[ing] with each other, students have "got to get out and fight with people."

Aerospace engineering freshman Cameron Sackrider, agreed with Tvert that public discussion with opponents of legalization will decide the success of changing disciplinary policies toward students using marijuana in dorms.

"We have a bigger force in [NORML] now. I think if we have more people behind it, it might have more chance of getting through to the higher powers and leaving a greater impression this time. More people will talk to more people. Get the word out. Spread the message."

Sackrider added that the medical marijuana bill passed in Colorado will play a large role in warming outsiders to the debate.

"They had 60 to 70 percent voting rate for 'yes' for legalization for the medical. It's pretty much there. It's just a matter of time."

Senior digital media student Max Clausen, said that SAFER's focus on marijuana's safety compared to that of alcohol, rather than focus on the medical marijuana angle, can change the legalization debate for the better. Portraying marijuana in a positive light, Clausen said, is still the most important element of the pro-legalization side of the discussion.

"We have to make it so that even the older generation can see that we're serious about it. It's not just a bunch of stoners...A lot of people are still disgusted especially about medical marijuana. I know people who would scoff at the idea, but they're completely okay if someone just says 'okay, we're going to legalize it.' 'Fine, but don't pretend that it's medicine.' That's where they always turn to."

The college should decrease the gap between sanctions for marijuana and alcohol use to create a safer atmosphere and keep its openness with students.

There’s clearly an imbalance in the college’s drug policy — and students are hazy on the details.

Ithaca College’s current drug policy has more severe consequences for students who violate marijuana use than those who illegally use alcohol. But after a recent survey revealing students’ perception of the discrepancy, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy may help soften the penalties for marijuana.

With new support from the Student Government Association, SSDP could push for a policy change that debunks a common misconception among students. Many believe that, judicially, alcohol is safer than marijuana because of the strict penalties. After their first offense with marijuana, students are on probation. But they receive no more than a slap on the wrist with alcohol. And when society tells us “No alcohol allowed (for a few more years),” people are inherently more lenient in their reprimand for drinking abuse.

If the college wants to dispel the alcohol myth and create a safer atmosphere for its students, it should decrease the disparity between penalties for marijuana and alcohol use. It should lessen the consequences for marijuana possession, but not increase those for alcohol. Upping the ante on alcohol would contradict societal norms and may strain the seemingly open relationship between the college and its students.

Students for Sensible Drug Policy at Ithaca College is moving forward with its initiative to equalize disciplinary penalties for marijuana and alcohol possession after receiving support from the Student Government Association.

The initiative will address the judicial discrepancies between the two substances by requiring the same disciplinary and educational interventions for both infractions.

The penalty for marijuana possession is  currently more severe than that for underage alcohol possession.

Mike Leary, assistant director for judicial affairs, said the penalties for alcohol and marijuana possession and usage are consistent, but not definite until meetings with the student who committed the offense are conducted.

“There is some judgment used by all of our hearing officers and I think that it’s to the student’s advantage,” Leary said. “But what we normally do is, if a student is involved in a first time marijuana violation, is normally one semester probation and an online course called Marijuana 101 and then if there is a second marijuana violation, it would be probably a year of disciplinary probation.”
Leary said the first violation for underage alcohol possession is typically a written warning.

“We have another online course called Under the Influence which the student would take,” Leary said. “If it was a second time violation, it would be a semester disciplinary probation and an alcohol education seminar.”

Junior Rob Flaherty, vice president of communications for SGA, said that it was important for SGA to convey an accurate message to the student body about the penalties for marijuana and alcohol possession and use.

“Illegal use of drugs is the same no matter what,” Flaherty said. “We want to make sure that students are being treated fairly and equally throughout the process and I think that this is a step in the right direction.”

Though SSDP has received support from SGA, the process toward instating the initiative at the college is not complete.
Senior Evan Nison, president of SSDP, said the process toward approval is bureaucratic and the there is no set time frame for implementation.

“The route that it needs to take in order to pass is still a little unclear,” Nison said.

SSDP maintains that the consequences for both substances currently under the college’s policy are imbalanced.

Senior Ben Malakoff, public relations officer of SSDP, said the obvious disparity between the penalties for the two substances fosters the culture of alcohol use and stifles students from basing their decisions on health and social consequences.

Malakoff said the initiative intends to debunk the common misconception that underage drinking is much safer and more acceptable than marijuana use.

SSDP’s initiative is similar to the Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation Campus Initiative, a national organization that educates the public on the relative harms of alcohol and marijuana by working with colleges to develop safe and rational policies for both substances.

Mason Tvert, executive director of SAFER, said he supports SSDP’s effort to enact its initiative. Tvert said he thinks the difference in the penalties for the two substances would influence students to drink because they do not want to suffer the strict penalties under school policy from using marijuana.

“In many colleges we see students facing expulsion or suspension or eviction from their dorm for using marijuana, in some cases on just the first offense,” he said. “With alcohol it’s just viewed by the university as a college student being a college student and they get a slap on the wrist and its not much of a problem.”

During SGA’s discussion of the SSDP initiative, senior Leana Testani, class of 2012 senator, said the SSDP policy sends a bad message to students that smoking marijuana is acceptable.

Testani declined to comment further after the meeting.

Though SAFER actively informs students marijuana is a safer substance, Malakoff said this particular policy is not encouraging the use of marijuana, as opposed alcohol, among students.

“We do believe that it is a safer substance, but this is purely aimed to changing how its handled judicially in order to create a safer campus atmosphere,” he said.

Through an online survey of 200 students at the college, SSDP found that 90 percent perceived alcohol to be more harmful in the college environment and 81 percent believe the college’s judicial system treats marijuana more severely.

Nison said he hopes the policy is passed and implemented by next year. If passed, the policy will have a two-year trial period to assess the effectiveness of the program.

“We have facts and science on our side,” Nison said. “In terms of if this will ultimately have a positive effect on the student body at Ithaca College, it would be hard to argue against it.”